I try to make all my gourds have an area where the real gourd shows through. Otherwise, what makes it look any different than a plastic piece? I am working on a larg Santa that I think is coming along really nicely. Here are two pics of him so far.

I am going to leave his coat as the original gourd part. I haven't decided about his hat. And I am hoping to do a little kitten and puppy in the back.